Sunday, August 6, 2017

Double Harness--Screenplay by Jane Murfin

It was not unusual in the early decades of film making for screenwriters to be women.  That became unusual later  in the century and even now it's still quite rare for a woman to write a movie that's produced.  They're writing them.  I wrote them.  Hollywood doesn't want that kind of product now.


Jane Murfin was very talented, wrote for stage and screen and wrote and produced movies starring her dog Strongheart.  She wrote many notable films including 1932's What Price Hollywood starring Constance Bennett, Neil Hamilton and Lowell Sherman (also multi-talented.) 



Thursday, August 3, 2017

Douglas Fairbanks Jr.




It must have been difficult, at least in his early years, living in his father's shadow.  Douglas Fairbanks was an amazing athlete and bursting with life.  To see him in Black Pirate doing all his own stunt work





it's simply extraordinary in any era.
 


But Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was extraordinary in his own right.  Beyond being a good actor, he was a thoughtful, intelligent man, a decorated Naval officer with many years of service to his country, well after WWII.  His two volume biography Salad Days is definitely worth reading, written by himself, his good humor and wisdom shines through.

He was also a fine looking man as proven in this George Hurrell portrait.